The Sun. — London, England, 1808-10-11 00:00:00

,kiipliing over all the feelings of nature, aceopaplish-' ed his purposes. • " - I have proved•that the abdication of the Royal . Father at. Aranjuez was a spontaneous. aa, and that the motive to it was the partiality of his Majesty towards his disgraced favourite. In Bayonne, he . told the King, his son, that he did not wish to re turn to the throne of Spain ; notwithstanding that;., he desired his Majesty should renounce the Crown, to make a present of it to the Emperor; that is, to present it to a Sovereign, who, in part at least, has been the origin of the difficulties of Spain, the only cause of the loss of our squadrons, the mover of the disturbances at Court, and in the Nation, and of she intended journey of the Royal ?at - nil) , to Seville; and from thence to America, prevented by the ex plosion of the 17th of March. I-leave" to the wisdom of the Sovereigns of Eu-' rope to judge whether it be possible that a Monarch, affeciionate to his children, highly enlightened, pe-' netrated deeply by the, principles, of religion, and pious without superstition, could, without violence, forget for a moment all his duties to his family, and -proscribe his whole dynasty, to call another to the Throne, for whom he has no esteem, and, on the contrary,, detests, as the plunderer of those Thrones Which have come within the-reach of his ambition. If such be the change, it is the most extraordinary revolution that history has presented to the world. " Ferdinand VII. over-awed, a prisoner, and controuled by circumstances, on the Ist of May 4 made a conditional renunciation of his crown, in favour of his august Father. (No. 7.) To this fol., lowed the letter of the Royal Father to his Son (N 0.4), and the very discreet answer of the Royal Son to the Father, . (No. g). " On the sth of the same month of May, at four in the _afternoon, the Emperor went to visit the Royal Parents, and continued in conference until five o'clock, when King Ferdinand was called in by his august Father to hear, in the presence of the Queen and the Emperor, expressions so disgusting and humiliating, that-I do not dare to record them. All the party were seated except King Ferdinand, whom the Father ordered to make an absolute.re nunciation of the Crown, under pain of being treated, with all his, household, as an usurper of the Throne, and a conspirator against the life of his parents. " His Majesty would have preferred death ; but desirous not to involve 'in his misfortunes the num ber of persons comprised in the threat of Charles IV. he assented to another. renunciation, .(No. t o), which bears on itsfront all the indications of con straint and violence, and 'which 'in no. respe& an swers its purpose; to colour over the intended usur pation of the .Emperor. " These are the only instances of renunciation in which I have interfered as Ministgr and Secretary of State. That which is spoken of at Bourdeaux, I have not_,lhe least knowledge of ; but I know the Emperor, in the last conference with King Ferdi, nand VII. said to his Majesty, " Prince, ilfata opier entre la cession et la mort."—" Prince, you have only to choose between cession and death." _ _ _ " With respe& to the rest, the whole, world is apprized that Charles IV. renounced the- Crown to the Emperor at the time that the Prince of Asturias, his brother the Infant Don Carlos; and his uncle the Want Don Antonio, were forced to surrender their rights. The Emperor, now believing himself pro prietor of the Crown of Spain, placed it on the head of his brother Joseph Napoleon, King of Naples. " It has already been explained, that although the King left his Court for a few days, he thought fit.to landion a Junta, of which the Infant Don Antonio was to be President, with 'full powers to determine for him, and in his Royal name, all subjects that would not permit of delay. Every night I sent a courier to this Junta, communicating whatappeared necessary for its information and dire6tion; " When the King arrived ai.Bay — finne:(and on the day of his arrival the ambitious . and'' violent in tentions of the - Emperor were communicated 'to him), I began to fear that the extraordinary couriers would be intercepted, as was found" to be the fao.---- Arriong the various disputes that I . had with the Mi nister, Champagny, on the dillerent accidents that occasioned the detention of the Cabinet couriers, the answer that he gave me to a remonstrance of mine is sufficiently remarkable. It is to be seen among the documents in justification (No. t I). In this situa tion of things, I took "the precaution of sending du -plicates by different conveyances. By such, means, I succeeded so far as to give information to the Junta of Government of the arrest and oppression to which the King had been exposed. " It was easy to foresee that the freedom of the Junta would not be respeded, since, notwithstand ing all the oilers and assurances of the Emperor, the liberty of the Sovereign was violated at Bayonne; - and that the noble designs of,sonie Members of the same Assembly would be obstructed (although bold ly declared) by the irresistible power of the repre sentative of the Emperor. •To t his, no doubt, i- to be'attributed their .not having consulted upon the awful condition 01 the Kingdom, and the remedy for such a calamity, as well as not having appointed a Junta to assume the Regency, in a place where the bayonets of the enemy could not penetrate. " The' King was surprised that the Junta had not written ; and the following post, when his Majesty bad.come to a determination in.consequence, with out losihg a moment, I sent a Royal order to the Junta, . that they should execute ,whatever was e:tpedient for the service of the King and, the King dom,- and that for that purposo they should vmploy 4 - 111 the Powers which his Mliesty.would possess if he were himself resident in the Kingdoin;(6) " Nothing could be written. that could, be more intelligible. The security of the means of com munication diminished every moment; for I could not wiped .that the Emperor would regard the 'sacredness or a correspondence, since he paid no respeet to the person of the Sovereign to whom it was subservient. " .The- - Junta, notwithstanding, thought it was necessary to consult his Majesty, and to obtain his orders as to various measures which appeared . to - thetil necessary for the salvation of the country; and for this 'purpose they sent to Bayonne a con ildential person of known zeal in the Royal service, , (6) The Cabinet Courier conveying this Roy.al Onier was itdercepted, on which account I scut a duplicate, which was receivcci by the Junta, the.memoranclum of which '1 have not been able to preserve. LONDON: Printeci by tit - the Soli-O totransmit verballc to the King the following pro-' positions _ ;,- 1. Whether his Majesty thought fit to au- Ahorize the. Junta to substitute, in case of need, some person or per.,ons of their own body, or otherwise, to hold a. Council in a secure situation, where. it could freely aai and 4 hey entreated his Majesty to signify who should compose the Coun cil for that purpOse, should ,he think the measure expedietat. • 2. Whether is was the wish of his Majesty that - hostilities should be commenced against the French army ; , and in that case, when and how the purpose. should 'be - executed. 3. Whether it were likewise the wish of the King that we should endeavour to p'revent the en trance of more French troops into Spain, by guard ing the passes - on the frontier. 4. Whether his Majesty , thought it . would be right to convoke the - Cortes, for which purpose a de cree of his Majesty would be necessary, addressed to. trie Royal Conned. It being possible that at the ar rival of the answer of the King, the Junta would, not be at liberty to act, they asked whether any Chancery of Audience of the Kingdom should be empowered, which was not within the reach of the French troops. Further,, if the Cortes should be assembled, on what subjects of discussion it should prcseed.' " The person charged ,/ , ith these propositions, art ived at Bayonne on the 4th of May, at night : he came to me iMmediately, and having disclosed to me his business, I introduced him to his Majesty with out losing a moment. " The King having taken into consideration the four propositions subtnitted to . his attention by the Junta, ..,?sent in answer tWo Royal decrees in the morning of the following day, ;he one written by his Majesty with his own hand, direCted to the Junta of Government ; the other signed by his Majesty ( " ,Yo el Rey" ) addressed in the first instance to the Council, and .next to any Chancery or Audience of the Kingdom *hid) should not be under restraint. _ These original decrees, dispatched by me With all care, and under secure conduit, it is well known, arrived to the bands of one of the Members of the Junta, who is now absent, and whose name was first mentioned ; but the Junta is apprized that he made no use of it, nor did he ever send to the Council the decree which was addressed to it.(7) " The minutes of these two decrees are not in my possession, because the critical situation of the King at Bayonne, and the necessity of avoiding the exposition of his views, obliged me to destroy them. Notwithstanding this, I preserved them in my me mory, and they are testified and certified by the three Secretaries of. his M'ajesty, D. Eusebio Bardaxi y Azara, D. Luis De Onis, and D. Evaristo Perez De Castro, who were with me at Bayonne, and saw and read the two .original decrees, the sub stance of which is as follows : " The King said to the Junta of Government, that he was not in a .state of freedom, and conse quently incapable of taking any measures, for the preservation of the Royal person and the Monarchy. On that account'the Junta was entrusted with most ample powers to repair to any place that should be 'deemed most convenient; that in the name of his Ma- jesty, and representing his own person, they might ex ercise all the funelions of sovereignty ; that hostilities should commence the moment when his Majesty should proceed to the interior of France, which he would not do, unless obliged by violence. Lastly, that in such a case, the Junta should prevent, in the best manner they could, the introduction of more troops into the Peninsula (8). In the Decree directed to. the Royal Gamlen, and next to any Chancery or Audience, his Majesty said, that, in the situation in which he found him self, deprived of his liberty, it was his Royal Will, that the Cortes should be assembled in such plaCe as should appear most convenient; that at. first they should occupy themselves exclusively in attending to the levies and subsidies necessary for the defence of the kingdom, and that their sittings should be permanept, to determine what shoUld be done on future events (9). " The 'disgraceful means, of which the Emperor availed himself to obtain the renunciation of the Crown of Spain in his favour, have already been known ; but the violence of Buonaparte to accom plish his purposes did not terminate there. Blinded as he was by the extravaganc,e of his ambition, lie could yet discern how easily these aEts of renuncia • tion would be disposed of ; and therefore be.endea voured to confirm the. by the means of a Council, which he called a National Assembly, and which • was to be convoked at Bayonne (10). " He named about 150 Spaniards, of different classes, conditions, and corporations, to constitute this Assembly, but onlcr. about 90 were convened. A part of these, representing some cities, tribunalS, or public bodies, brought with them instructions, in. the nature of powers given them by those whom they represented, but wholly insufficient to answer the purpose intended. The Ministere of the Coun cil were without any powers or instructions what ever, n precaution adopted by this tribunal in, con (7) When these two Royal Decrees came to the hands of the junta, the Grand Duke of Berg had been to some-days President; and the affair of the 2cl of May had taken place. The President, after the departure of the Royal Parents, pre-. cipitately and ifidecently forced from the Capital all the Members of the Royal Family, and sent them to Bayonne.— But yet he had to talfe the important step of taking complete possession of the Government, in order to which the bloody 'scene cif the ad of May was exhibited : a scene of horror and iniquity similar to what the modern French have exe r cuted in other countries with similar designs. _ 48.) ". The perfect agreement between the recommenda tibn of the . King given to the lunta, in his Royal Decree of the stli of May, and the determination of his faithful vassals, is very retharkable. We have seen that all the provinces of the Monar,..by ,rose .spontaneously to resist the oppressor, without having any knowledge of the-will of.their Sovereign. (g.) " We, the three Secretaries of the King, for Decrees, cc, tity, ,that we have seen and read in Bayonne, the two oh- - ginal Decrees sent by his Majesty Ferdinan i VII. On the sth • of May, in this year, which are mentioned above; ancl:the substance of the contents of them, as tar as we can recoiled, is the same as is here stated. " EUSEBIO DE BARDAXTY AZAEA. " Luis DE ON to. " EVARISTO PEREZ DE CASTRO." •" Madrid, Sept. t,-1808." . 1 ( 1.04.1 t is will known that this - Junta was assembled at Bayonne, according to printed notice given on the nth of to treat, as it was said, of the means of securing the happiness of Spain, but in fax, to pfopose the continuance of ail the evils of the former 5) stein; ' . .rnd such' c:i , r;ns and. alterations as were most likely to destroy the v, hole Louiltry t . and every province belonging to it. fortuit to 1 1 1( c•pul on of itstorninissioners, oriler y to avoid all itwciuntary compromises. ,Most of the 1‘ Deputies bad no otAler pol.vvrs . than merely airrder to take their dcrarthre, and many of . theca . did hoc j• - belong to any public body or acknowledgt•d' clas, of the community. . • Emperor . fully expe&ed, fr.our 1!•: escence of these individuals, a tuask under t i 11:ch` • • • to conCe:.:l ttis usurpation ; . but he was utterly de ceived. Insteacrof finding •weak men;wonvenient' io the desgus of his mercenary ambition, he a wet , by Ministers incorruptible, Grandees worthy of their rank,.and Representatives ‘ , .ho were taithlufdriend ers of the interest and of the honottrof their coun- try. They all, with one aceprd, int,time . t , l,ltitn, that they held powers much rewic-,ted, thAt . they were not the legitimate Representatives of Spain, and that they'codd Out compromise her rights. . "TheSe, and other similar reflections; were treated with insolence in the tribunal of the Usurper, who, far from being discomfited, put into activity all the means of oppression, flattering himself that, by vic tories on the one hand, and corruption on the other, he should so colour over injustice, that he would not be considered by the woad 'as the subverter of general tranquillity. • . • " I - do not enter into the particulars that occurred ,in this Congress; but one of the Ministers of the Council of Castile, who does so much honour to his robe, will satisfy the curiosity of the public as to this particular. I ought not to speak of what I have suffered for my King and country : the truth is, I, have not suffered, for all I have done has been required by my Most sacred duties. It was to me the highest Satisfaction id see my lodging in Bayonne surrounded by the satellites of Government : to..these- spies,suc ceeded, who abound always where those are in au thority who in history usurp the chuacters of heroes. My steps were, reckoned—my visits obsery ed.— Espionage, under the mask of compassion, ap proached to examine the secrets of my soul ; but nothing disturbed the tranquillity of my mind.— What I could not behold with patience, was to see myself - condemned to a confinement within the fron tier of France, until the Emperor should consider that my narration of the scandalous proceedings could not destroy the lofty fabric of the new Spanish Monarchy. In vain, for two months, I applied to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, with the utmost importunity, to be permitted to return to my_ beloved country; the determined resistance I made to the attempt of usurpation made the Frenth . Government deaf to my entreaties, believing, not without good reason, that I should endeavour to inflame heroism in my country, denominated insurrection in. the Journals of Bayonne. • " In such unfavourable circumstances,. a mode presented itself - to me of avoiding a state of indefinite banishment. Such were the repeated entreaties of Joseph Napoleon that I should continue with him in the situation of Minister, to which I acceded with repugnance and from constraint, but without pre, judice of my right to abandon it at a convenient opportunity. "This opportunity occurred the moment I set foot in Madrid. From that instant I -only thought of availing myself of the most early -means of-re signing my new eharaEter, which did in the man ner shwn in document No. l 2. I " Joseph Napoleon could not be grieved at the dis appearance of a Minister who .so frequently oppos ed his wishes (11), and who, in the opinion of some of thOse who immediately surrounded him, was a Quixote in his maxims,''who could not comprehend the sulliine intentions of the greatest -of heroes in fa .your of the regeneration of Spain. " I have shewn in this narrative • with clearness and fidelity, the series of the principal events in this important epoch, carefully avoiding to enter • into ' ' minute particulars foreign to my object, ,or which Should make this exposition too prolix; atici I have enr:,nvoured to place _before my readers, in its true point of view, ail the injustice and violence with ; Which the French GoVernment has concluded itself . towards our beloved Sovereign, and the whole na- ' tion. u It has already been proved, that the renuncia tion of Charles . IV. in favour of,his son Ferdinand VII. is vitiated in no respea. In the slight sketch which we have drawn ofthe perfidious and \de ceitful arts with which the Emperor has , made the progress we have seen, the series of atrociious in sults offered to Spain, and to the unfortunate King Ferdinand VII. remains depided in indelible Co lours. " The Emperor alarms Charles IV. - in order that he may induce him to take flight for America, with all the Royal Family, and abandon the Peninsula to the former•: :he lights up the flame of discord be tween the Royal Parents and their child, in order to debilitate Spain, dividing it into parties, aft er hav ing disgraced the' Royal persons ; he 'draws - Ferdi nand VII. from his Court by false promises ; he makes him captive in Bayonne ; and when lie saw that the virtue of the young King knew how M re sist his designs, and that Ferdinand could not be in .duced to renounce his Crown, he 'occasioned him to be brought to Bayonne,. with all the other person ages of . the Royal Family, as if to present them bound before the Imperial Tribunal, which was both judge and party in the same Cause.' He endeavours to deprive the'parents of the sensibilities of nature, and forces them to become the instrument, of the oppression of their child. From the latter he ex torts a renunciation,' the most irregular and illicit .transaction amongst the affairs of men ; and by a series of abdications exaaed -by the same illegal and violent'expedients, he believes that he 'has be come the prOprietor of the Crown of Spain ; he transfers it to his brother, without considering the infamy 'to which he would be exposed in the Cabi nets of Europe, by the usurpation of the throne of a 'Monarch, his fidend and 'ally. is Who can doubt, from this clear evidence, that the renunciation executed by Ferdinand VII. in fa vour of his august father, and that which succeeded in favour of the Emperor, are absolute' nullities ? Who will doubt but that if the last shOuld have emanated froth' a 'free exercise of the will, thetights •of the dynasty of Bourbon are:not prejudiced by a ? f's may particularly instance the affair of 'the oaths, when..joscpli Boonaparte"_arriving at !Vlach - id, wanted to com pel evcry body to swear alle 6 imc6 to hint ; and that of - the ban's: I,:ent, of the Council of Castile' to BayOune,•for its rio s Lance. • " rne - msfic oy nt ILIA A M ARMI G ER SC R IPPS,South M n !to RICH &RD Ha Rit IS, of No. 4, MArtlett-court. Bow-street; and 'll!Cit No. 112 Strand where Advo tisenten ts , Orders tor the Ptiper, 'let/en fOr tile Editor, &c, (trot-paid ; Who does not know, that in case of the extitaion of such &family, and by the very eitablishinent of the SplOish Monarchy, the nation alone can invite another.dyna.;ty . , -or Cita introduce such a form of f.o - .e! - ontertt as it shall most appt`ove ? li t itnpther part of this narrative,' I have shewn tlytt li'-v!tnut•ll VII. was too honourable to suppose th:ti the Enver , r could entertain such atrocious de- The King desired to free Spain from the op pression of the Frvecb troops . ; it "as prdmiSed him, .that this and all other matters should be regulated with the Emperor, and that be should return.to his ' kingdom with tie fruit of iris exertions for the good of his vassals; and no hour Of his life Was unseaionf able to Itiin to exert himself for their happiness. "This I saw, and can. testify. During, his confine ♦ m , tit, nothing allliCied his generous heart so much as the sufferincrs of his people ; and w 66 his liberiy began to 'be doubtful; he adopted the means the mhst to his paternal solicitnde: such was the order which he gave for the regency, naturally. sought, .when his freedom was interrupted ; and: such was the command that the Cortes should be as- - sdmbled to determine those questions which in their properylacalrave been noticed. , . . Valour and patriotism 'ha‘;e suCcesSfully.arMed the whole nation in its own defence, and for the pro tection of their legitimate Sovereign, although the people -had no knowledge of the will of 'their be loved Ferdinand as to this movement. That patrioto -ism, united to wisdom, will now impel then] irre sistibly to perform with proinp . titude the mostiii" portant work of the Central Government or Re" gency, which may administer the I - Affairs of this kingdom in the name of his Majesty. [bus will be completed, for the advantage Of all, thelia expression of the will of the Kmg;whiell he condescended to use the moment before he was foiced to renounce the Crown ; thus will the nation be preserved from this dreadful tempest ; it will have.: . exhibited befOre Europe a n ex am pl e o f l o y a lty, ho' nour, and generous energy, which will .be : the sub" jean of admiration in every age and in every country . : " PEDRO CEVALLOS., , Madrid, - Sept. 1, 1.808." MA NSION• HOUSE, OCT. 10.- Launcelot Eveso• a drover, was charged with cruel treatment of a Wl' lock, and also for working without- his badge. Mr. Nalder, the City Marshal, stated, that thi. morning he saw the Prisoner in Smithfield, most bar.. barously heating a bullock with a large bludgeon. The animal seemed to be perfeetly quiet: and " could have no other'reason for doing it, than to tisfy his cruel disposition; he was also without 1 1 h 7 badge. The Prisoner made no defence, and the Sitting Magistrate ordered him to pay the mitigated fine of. fen.,3hillings for each offence. Not being able to pay the flue, he was committed to the Compter.. , - GUlLDHALL.—Yesterday a person, of the nan? of Wilkes, was charged by Mr. Grove, Watch"; maker, Wo9cl-street, Cheapside, under suspicion 0 1 stealing a parcetwhich Mr. Grove held in his hand- He stated, that while hit servant was occupied in his back yard., on Saturday night last, she received 4 blow from a parcel which had been thrown over• the' wall, which separated the back of his premises frog the street or passage. The girl i mme diately' to the 'Witness and he being of o p in ion that it been thrown thither by some person..who- hid stolen it, and was in dread of - pursuit, desiredsit to be'keP t ill the state in which it was, till it should be seen it shciald be claimed, and by whom. One person was, Shortly afterwards, observed to look earnestly' into the Witness's window, and, in a little 6[1 16 _, after, a person came to the door, who, in a whininiS. tone, requested that a parcel which had been snatch' ed from him, arid thrown into the area, • might V restored to. him. Some circumstances of suspicioa.. .arising, the Witnesi took this person into c ustod)r . -. Thep 'arcel was addressed—" Messrs. Simpson and Picktield, Aldermanbury." , To these Gentle/me i). the Witness had applied, but they could not say 11' 031 whom it had come; and the Witness thought it ira" proper, though it might contain a bill or parcels, thi lt : it should be opened,but in presence of the MV; strate. The parcel was then opeiaed. It cOritaine‘i• several pieces of Chambray' --and - on Mr. SicnPs ° e l being sent for, and the invoice shewn him, he st a a t o that the parcel contained goods returned . to lzis by g'correspondent in Shoreham, in Norfol"1 h a d he could not say by what conveyance the Ps rc come.. , :i • T Witnesses Prisoner adduced s evera l tneeSes to cha raaer, particularly some persons. with whom be 1 7 worked at his tr a d e o f a tanner. B e s aid that now worked for a M r. C oo k , an d f or Messrs. Allen f and Chesney.- , .-That he had a wife and lour sma children, and entreated, if he were to be re-e%3' mined, that he might he . admitted to bail, The Worthy Alderman ordered the .correspond" eats of Messrs. Simpson and Pickman to be writief l to, and the -Prisoner to be remanded till Thursday' not thinking himself entitled to 'consent to his ration, in the mean time, on bail. • IIIRTHS. Lady' 4if On Friday the 7th inst. in Grosvenor-pla ce , the Augustus 1 - I.unilton • Esq: of a Soh. e Hake- On Sunday last, the Lady of JohnTrower, Esq ley-square, of a Daughter. , Bedford' Yesterday, the Lady of Walter Shairp, Esq. 0. square, of a Son.. • The wine day . , Mrs. John Armitage Brown; of a 5 00 • 'MARR,ED ,IP • On Saturday last, Mr. Earle, to Miss Bateman, of .- gate. kill. the attie'day, at St: George's, Blootnsbury, C 3 {4 3,„ F ar seph rhortfaS jolinSOn, of the Bth Madras Native Begin ' , : t9,Miss Katherine Page, only dau, - ,liter,of the late John 1- !rkplA Page,. Esq. of Woburo , place. __----" 1), Samuel DIPM On Stlturday last; orfthe Terrace, Hammersmith, .- Moody, Esq. .of queen-square ' Bloornsbui . , aged 7k $, On Saturaay the Ist inst. at Brighton, su , L!colY , lw‘ r Proby, late of Hatkfie4 Peverat, Essex, aged p. On - the sth inst. in Dors : ef.street, Ponnian- 3(llgarc'Slio ben Browire, Esq. late Of Fintland, in the County of Ireland,' agtid • Lately, in Dean-street, Mrs. Leckie. relit of the late . 03. niel Leckie, Eq. eitlf:[, 01 , .`,* I (ICAS • YJISTERAA Y., India Stock, I httuoluncts, par. Is, pr. Exchequer is• 4 , ;• P C' ()Wiliam, 2 a a,. for pe:;11g, x396,. 66 ConS. tot t3th inst. 65 51 Bank' Stock, shut Nievy < bier 1, ,,, ut 9 1 4 : . 11 - .,,h39'ur Colt. scut 1.3 gc.. vat. abut 1 ' ~-etc 'shut ';,per Cent Crin. 6; 65 653 Bank L. Ann. shut- . , n Jos% fa. , e•svares must be ach!rtrss:A.